


Weehawken

by odinburgh



Category: American Revolution RPF, Political RPF - US 19th c.
Genre: Duelling
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-19
Updated: 2018-07-19
Packaged: 2019-06-13 05:50:20
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,443
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15357633
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/odinburgh/pseuds/odinburgh
Summary: What if Hamilton won the duel at Weehawken?





	Weehawken

Vice President Burr and I took the ten paces and faced each other. At this moment I took into account all that has happened.

To some people, namely Vice President Burr, duels were not defense of honor but of stupidity. Yet, despite this belief, the Vice President challenged and met me on the field of honor. Was this not in defense of himself, but him trying to make me stop making mean remarks about him? He, of course, called all of these remarks slander, but they are the truth. They have to be the truth. Burr is unprincipled and I with other respectful men must inform the American people of such a man.  
Vice President Burr usually never retaliated when such “slanderous” articles were released against him. Why now? I understand this was all started when the Vice President demanded an apology from me. Unlike him, I’m principled and I refuse to go back on true statements. Burr is a vile man who must be stopped. Which is why we are here in Weehawken, myself to defend my honor and Vice President Burr in hopes to receive an apology.

The rising sun reflected upon Burr’s eyes giving me the privilege to see the emotions in his eyes. I see one emotion that I never thought I would see in his eyes, fear. Vice President Burr is afraid of me, afraid of this situation. He, not knowingly, is giving me complete power over him with this fear. Thinking about the letters I wrote I begin to question my own motives. Men in fear tend to lash out the most. Burr is likely to shoot.  
I plan to return to my law practice by 10 o’clock this morning. Maybe shooting in the air isn’t the best strategy for surviving this duel. I have a family to live for, what does Vice President Burr have? A dead wife and a married daughter versus my living wife and seven unmarried children. I have much more to live for than him and that is the sad truth.  
I have the first shot. Should I shoot up or towards the Vice President? Resolve washed over Burr’s features. Cold, hard determination solidifies on the Vice President. He is going to shoot me. I must survive. I must shoot.  
I take first position and fire my shot. It hits his upper middle chest. When I originally studied to be a doctor, I learned a vague anatomy of the human body. It doesn’t take a lot of knowledge to know that the location of the heart is where I shot.

Colonel Burr wordlessly collapsed upon the ground and Doctor Hosack quickly ran up to the fallen Vice President.

What I have done finally occurs to me. Vice President Burr. Colonel Burr. Aaron Burr. A man who I met when I first came to America. I shot. A man that until this very moment called me his friend. How could a friend do this? I don’t deserve that title Vice President Burr generously bestowed upon me.  
Doctor Hosack was dragging the limp body of Colonel Burr to the boat to cross the Hudson. I move to approach the Vice President but I was restrained from helping the good doctor. William Van Ness was the one to help the good doctor. Nathaniel Pendleton held me back, forcefully directing me to the other boat to cross the Hudson.  
While being dragged away, my gaze lands upon the ground where Vice President Burr stood. Stained an unsightly red, the ground has become the place where Burr and I will never forget. A turning point in both of our lives.  
I slammed down on the boat bench and Pendleton picks up the oars and swiftly maneuvers us across the Hudson. I must admit, I am affected majorly by the turn of events. I did not expect to make a shot so well. A shot in which I fear was fatal as well. The sun rises but I fear the life I once had is now setting.

When Pendleton got us to the New York shore, I jump into action. A part of me wants to go into a life-as-usual modus operandi, but the other part of me wants to cancel all meetings and find out immediately what has happened to my good friend Burr, who I shot.

I do the latter. I rush immediately to my law office, which is closer by than the Grange, to cancel my meetings and to write a letter to him. I wish to know the state of the colonel turned Vice President. Regret flowed over me as I come to terms with all that I have done. Even if the colonel survives, I will be destroyed in the newspapers. A man shooting the Vice President will circulate around the nation. Jefferson, Madison, Monroe, and their band of demon writers will have a fantastic time with this news.

I scribble out the letter as fast as I can, not sure whether or not it was legible in the first place. Not that that matters. They will already know what I am asking. The July heat finally rose the room temperature to unbearable, so I slowly open the window. In doing so I hear the gossiping women below. Such words of, “Did you hear, General Hamilton shot Vice President Burr,” to, “Hamilton murdered Burr in cold-blooded jealousy,” float up into my ears, rattling my brain. Did I kill Colonel Burr? I couldn’t have. He will make a speedy recovery and our families will dine together again. Just like the friends we are.

I start working on a pamphlet exonerating myself from the slander that is about to come. Some time passed and I heard knocking on my door. Nathaniel Pendleton and Betsey walk in. Betsey’s face is only covered in the wifely disapproval I came to see so often. Pendleton looks disturbed. The words make their way out of his mouth, “Vice President Burr died two hours ago with his daughter, Theodosia, by his side. I went to the Grange to tell you but I only found your wife and children. General Hamilton, you are going to be a wanted man. People are going to try you for murder, even treason, for killing the Vice President. I recommend you make your way west and your dear friends will take care of your family until the charges are taken away.”

Burr died.

I halt my work on the pamphlet, shocked. All Burr wanted was an apology. He died for an apology from me. My pride, my disastrous pride, was what killed Burr on that blood stained ground and what has now killed any political life I could live. I have destroyed it all. I wish I could go back to late June and just apologize to my dear friend Burr, who I shot.

—————

Word of the duel eventually reached Monticello. The worst now came into light. President Jefferson, in a rare public statement, accused me of treason. This is only added on to the charges of murder from both New York and New Jersey. Hopefully Chief Justice Marshall, a federalist, will let me go if a treason trial is brought up.

As predicted, the Democratic-Republican press took full liberty to portray me as a treasonous murderer. My letter trying to explain that I couldn’t apologize generally but only over specific insults wasn’t accepted because they said none of them were true. They started combatting my statements, namely with the argument, “Just because a person’s beliefs are different from yours doesn’t mean they don’t exist.”

In the heat of the moment of that day, I forgot that I wrote a letter to publish if I won to make my intentions clear. I felt the need in my office waiting to hear news about Colonel Burr to try my best to justify what I did. I sent that work to his daughter, Theodosia. I received a letter back from her, the influence of Burr on her education was apparent through her diction and syntax. Her words echoes Vice President’s ghost, here to haunt me. She refused to forgive me. I have no idea what I was expecting.

There have been accusations that I shot Burr over his beliefs. Hilarious, because he participated in a duel to challenge my statements saying he had none. My reputation has been ruined and no amount of pamphlets can save it at this point. I will go down in history as a man so divisive on politics that I killed Colonel Burr. My treasury bank and my founding of the federalist party will not be remembered, but my actions at Weehawkin.


End file.
